Caleb twirled a bracelet with pink beads around his finger and sat on a checkered couch while Past Lives played quietly on the old LCD. He stretched over the arm of the couch to grab the popcorn bowl he left on the stovetop.
A pink glow shone through his window. “Happy Valentine’s Day!” was projected in large pink lettering on the wall of the factory across the street. The factory manager, Mr. Willard, stood below it with a proud grin on his face, presenting enough roses to Mrs. Willard to make Caleb’s wallet weep. They’d always work through the night, dragging a few unfortunate floor workers with them.
There was a quiet knock on his door. Shoving the bracelet in his pocket, Caleb crossed the room to answer. Lily, his ex, stood in the hallway—her arm out to knock a second time before she quickly put it down. Has it really been 6 months? The light from the ceiling clung to her. It was as if each ray was asked to choose its favorite thing in the room and they all chose her. She wore a red dress. Caleb had never seen it before.
His hand shot into his pocket, pinching a star-shaped bead. When she gave the bracelet to him, she said, “When I was ten, I said I’d give this to the love of my life; to say I love you forever.”
But, when Caleb opened the door, she just said, “I was kind of hoping to get my bracelet back?” I didn’t expect forever to be so short, Caleb thought, while tightly gripping the bracelet.
“Oh yeah! Do you want to come in while I look?”
He stepped back, most of his body covered by the door as he gestured to the rest of the room. She strode to the couch, the flickering light of the screen dancing over her face. Her lips were pursed and her eyes wide, trained on the old mugs and dirty plates that scattered the floor. Caleb knew that look a little too well. He scurried to pick them up before he could even think about it.
“Caleb. The bracelet.”
“I know you-”
“I’m done telling you to fix your messes.”
“Right. Bracelet.”
Caleb walked straight to his room, digging through his closet. With the door open, Lily would still be able to see him as he dug through the closet. If she ever looked his way. Pulling out an old box, he sifted through pictures of the two of them. He couldn’t help but look over at her as he did.
“So… how have things been?” he said.
She spoke about her new job, the condo she just bought, and her dog Milo. Milo used to love me. He drifted over from the closet to his desk.
He searched in the cup holding green pens and a ticket to Death of a Salesman he had seen with Lily. He looked behind the books that sat unopened, and in the drawer full of job applications he never quite finished.
“You look beautiful by the way.” Caleb said, smiling over at her.
“Thanks! You look… good” Her face is red.
“Yeah, I’ve been hitting the gym when I have free time.”
“You must be pretty busy.”
“Working a new job. A little firm that’s just starting out.”
She raised an eyebrow at that.
“I haven’t-” A car horn cut off her thought.
“Shit. I have to go.”
“Who’s that?”
“I’m on a date. I brought up the bracelet. I wanted it back.”
“So you brought him here?” The Willards were still out by the factory, laughing about something. Probably me, Caleb thought.
“This wasn’t supposed to take so long. If you don’t have it, I’ll just go.”
“Wait.”
Caleb pulled the bracelet out of his pocket. She furrowed her brow but put her hand out anyways. He dropped the bracelet into her hand.
“You’re an idiot.” She said brushing past him and out the door. The factory bell rang. The pink glow faded away as the projector powered down. The Willards’ laughter quieted as their employees walked out, their backs hunched and eager to reunite with their beds. The night shift was over, and Valentine’s Day had passed for another year.
Image Credits: Rgbstock.com
Despite graduating from CCSU with a Computer Science degree, Aidan’s passion has always been writing.
0 comments on “Night Shift | Aidan Dyer”